1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lamp assembly, and more particularly, to an improved lamp assembly typically installed on aircraft evacuation slides, wherein the assembly is designed to withstand the static and dynamic forces realized when the slide is folded into a compact, volumetrically efficient package for storage and then expanded rapidly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Inflatable evacuation slides, or rafts, are installed on substantially all passenger aircraft to allow for rapid evacuation in the event of an emergency. In the deflated state, the evacuation slide is tightly folded into a compact compartment near or within the aircraft doorway. A girth bar is extended from the inflatable evacuation slide and connected to brackets on the floor inside the aircraft doorway, such that the slide is simultaneously deployed with the opening of the door. When the door is opened, the slide is pulled from its container by the girth bar and deposited through the open doorway. The slide is then automatically inflated, making it ready for the evacuation of passengers.
Since a substantial amount of flying is done at night, it is imperative for the safety of the passengers that the slides are well lit. Therefore, illumination is provided by lamp assemblies which are mounted to the evacuation slides. The problem is that when the slides are compacted into their storage areas, tremendous forces are exerted on the housing assemblies. Similar forces are applied to the housing assemblies when the slides are deployed and expanded rapidly. Unfortunately, conventional lamp assemblies are commonly damaged and rendered inoperable under these forces, especially during emergency situations.
Conventional lamp housing designs make them highly susceptible to such damage and inefficient for maintenance purposes. For instance, the housing assemblies are fabricated from materials incapable of withstanding the higher forces realized by today's compact packing techniques. In addition, the lamp housing structures incorporate flat conductor cables that are installed with inadequate strain relief. The result is a rigid interface between the flat conductor cable and the lamp housing edges which cause the conductors and housings to crimp, break and fail under the static and dynamic forces. Moreover, time consuming procedures are required to replace and repair lamps and their housings in that the housings must be pried apart and lamps replaced by potentially injurious, hazardous, and complex soldering techniques. Thus, a more stress resistant lamp housing structure is needed, and particularly one that can be more conveniently maintained.
Improvements in the ability to create smaller, denser evacuation packages have caused structural failures in the prior art lamp enclosures and ultimately cause lamp breakage. Furthermore, the prior art lamp housing conductor is a flat conductor cable. The interface of the flat conductor cable and the prior art lamp housing has caused conductor failures since the prior art lamp housings do not effectively strain relieve the flat conductor, particularly when the prior art design is used in new, smaller, denser evacuation packages. Consequently, there remains a need for a more curvilinear and pliable lamp housing structure. The present invention solves these problems by providing in the preferred embodiment a housing that is able to secure the lamp without soldering, and by providing a lamp housing conductor that is a round conductor cable, while absorbing the static and dynamic forces encountered today without failing.